Step on a Crack: Michael Bennett, Book 1

The nation is mourning after the death of a beloved former first lady, and the most powerful people in the world gather in New York for her funeral. Then the inconceivable occurs. Billionaires, politicians, and superstars are suddenly trapped within one man's brilliant and ruthless scenario. Detective Michael Bennett is pulled into the fray. He's just lost the love of his life and faces raising his children alone ¿ and rescuing 34 hostages.

1st to Die: The Women's Murder Club

There's a killer on the loose in San Francisco, and he's stalking newlyweds. When the usual procedures to stop him don't work, four women, each holding a piece of the puzzle, form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case. 1st to Die is the start of a new series of crime thrillers from James Patterson.

The Black Book

Billy Harney was born to be a cop. The son of Chicago's chief of detectives, whose twin sister is also on the force, Billy plays it by the book. Alongside Detective Kate Fenton, Billy's tempestuous, adrenaline-junkie partner, there's nothing he wouldn't sacrifice for his job. Enter Amy Lentini, a hard-charging assistant state's attorney hell-bent on making a name for herself - who suspects Billy isn't the cop he claims to be. They're about to be linked by more than their careers.

Never Never

Harry Blue is the top sex crimes investigator in her department. She's a seasoned pro who's seen it all. But even she didn't see this coming: her own brother arrested for the grisly murders of three beautiful young women. Harry's been sent to a makeshift town in a desolate landscape - a world full of easy money, plenty of illegal ways to spend it, and a ragtag collection of transient characters who thrive on the fringes of society.

Murder Games

Dr. Dylan Reinhart wrote the book on criminal behavior. Literally - he's a renowned, best-selling Ivy League expert on the subject. When a copy of his book turns up at a gruesome murder scene - along with a threatening message from the killer - it looks like someone has been taking notes. Elizabeth Needham is the headstrong and brilliant NYPD Detective in charge of the case who recruits Dylan to help investigate another souvenir left at the scene - a playing card.

marcelo says:"The thrill never came"

Publisher's Summary

Just when Alex Cross thought his life was calming down into a routine of patients and therapy sessions, he finds himself back in the game - this time to catch a criminal mastermind like no other. A spate of elaborate murders in Washington, D.C., have the whole East Coast on edge. They are like nothing Alex and his new girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, have ever seen. With each murder, the case becomes increasingly complex.

There's only one thing Alex knows: the killer adores an audience. As victims are made into gruesome spectacles citywide, inducing a media hysteria, it becomes clear to Alex that the man he's after is a genius of terror - and he's after fame. The killer has the whole city by its strings. And he'll stop at nothing to become the most terrifying star that Washington, D.C., has ever seen.

Patterson is a master of this genre. His characters are creepy and his plots are very interesting. I think he was a bit ambitious in trying to bring in two serial killers in this book and in taking the plot in so many directions almost simultaneously, however he somehow pulls it together. Though I would have preferred he explain more about the why's, it's still an interesting romp with one of the best super-hero detective/therapists around - the famous Alex Cross.

Bottom line... the details are too unlikely to happen even in today's society... If you like murder/crime books and just want to be entertained then you may like it. I like books and movies but I consider reading (or listening to a book) a little more of an intellectual experience than watching a movie and for that reason I hold a book up to a slightly higher standard. The Overlook by Connelly is a better read, just as entertaining without having to dumb yourself down to get into it.

I find Patterson books to be a bit short for my taste and predictable. It does not mean that stories are not good, it is just that there are no surprises and suspense in my opinion. Overall it is still a good book.